Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Rolling Stones' summer Zip Code Tour has topped Billboard's Hot Tours List for the week ending July 27, with $29 million reported from the tour's final stadium performances in Raleigh, N.C., Indianapolis, Ind., Detroit, and Orchard Park, N.Y., near Buffalo. Sellout crowds packed football venues in New York and North Carolina, as well as a major league baseball park in Detroit and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the tour's homestretch. Their Zip Code tour, which kicked off on May 24 in San Diego, had its highest-grossing stadium performance in Orlando, Fla.'s Citrus Bowl with a $9.3 million box office, but Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium drew the largest crowd on May 30, with 59,038 fans filling the venue in Columbus. The tour continues with a run of shows including Labor Day weekend concerts at The Gorge in Washington state, Sept. 4-6, and the final show stateside will be held in Phoenix at Ak-Chin Pavilion on Sept. 13. A 21-city international tour will follow, kicking off in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 8 and wrapping in Dublin on Nov. 13. - Billboard, 7/29/15...... In other Stones-related news, guitarist Keith Richards recently told Mojo magazine that he loves smoking weed and even partakes in it at breakfast, but is unsure whether full legalization of the drug would be a positive development. "I like an early morning joint... Strictly Californian," said the 71-year-old legendary rocker. "But whether [legalization is] a good thing in the long run, I don't know," he added. Despite his advancing age, Richards says he still smokes pot "regularly." Richards will release his first solo album in 23 years, Crosseyed Heart, in September. - NME, 7/28/15...... After writing an anti-streaming Facebook post on July 15, Neil Young announced on July 29 he is pulling the majority of his music from streaming services. "AM radio kicked streaming's ass. Analog Cassettes and 8 tracks also kicked streaming's ass, and absolutely rocked compared to streaming," wrote Young, who has long complained about streaming's subpar sound quality. "Streaming sucks. Streaming is the worst audio in history. Streaming has ended for me. I hope this is ok for my fans," he added, then went on to say "it's not because of the money." Now, only five of Young's albums from the '80s and early '90s remain on various streaming services. The singer did, however, say that he would allow his albums back on streaming services if the audio quality was improved. - Billboard, 7/29/15...... Meanwhile, Neil Young and other artists including the Doors, Journey and Bonnie Raitt have settled a copyright dispute with the BBC after withdrawing their music from the venerable broadcaster earlier in July. By withdrawing from the UK's Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), the four artists also left the BBC's collective agreement with the organization. As a result, BBC DJs were asked not to play songs by the artists, or tracks which sampled them, in order to avoid breach of copyright. Now it appears a settlement has been reached on the use of the band's content on radio, and on July 27 the BBC released a statement confirming the return of the artists to the airwaves: "The BBC has been able to find a licensing solution by working together with the music publisher Wixen Music UK and with the MCPS... however the rights are not available for television or other audio visual use via the BBC's collective licensing arrangements with MCPS." Effectively, that means that the BBC will now be free to play those artists' songs on the radio, but can't lay the tracks over their latest inspirational documentary. - NME, 7/27/15...... In a recent interview with Britain's Q magazine, the Who guitarist Pete Townshend revealed that '90s alternative rock icon Morrisey once asked him to produce two of his solo albums, and he rejected the offer. "Morrissey asked me to produce albums for him after the Smiths, twice," Townshend said. However, he added that despite the fact that he "really loves [Morrisey's former band] The Smiths," he rejected the offer because he would have preferred to work with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Townshend also revealed that he kept the letters that Morrissey originally sent him requesting that he produce his albums. - New Musical Express, 7/28/15...... Rocker Ted Nugent has added his two cents to the current controversy over the death of "Cecil the lion" in Zimbabwe, which was recently slain by an American dentist on a big game hunt. The dentist and part time trophy hunter, Walter Palmer of Minnesota, and his guides reportedly led Cecil out of a national park, shot him with a bow and arrow, tracked him for 40 hours, killed him with a rifle and beheaded him. "The whole story is a lie," Ted Nugent posted on his website in response. "It was a wild lion from a 'park' where hunting is legal & ESSENTIAL beyond the park borders." While only 30,000 of the black-maned lions are estimated to be left in the wild, and 600 of them (2%) are said to be harvested every year through both legal hunting safaris and poaching, Nugent maintains that "all animals reproduce every year & would run out of room/food to live w/o hunting. I will write a full piece on this joke asap. God are people stupid." Walter Palmer issued a statement saying that "I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," although he has been cited for illegal poaching of exotic animals in the past. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/29/15...... Former Pink Floyd principal Roger Waters headlined the 2015 Newport Folk Festival in Fort Adams State Park, R.I., on July 24. Appearing for his first live performance since the end of his Wall tour in 2013, Waters was joined by a host of guest artists and played an entirely acoustic set that featured material from his time with Pink Floyd as well as new and old solo material. Surprises in the set included a new song, "Crystal Clear," as well as covers of material by Bob Dylan, Levon Helm and Buddy Guy. My Morning Jacket, a last minute addition to the festival line-up, joined Waters on stage after having played their own set earlier in the day. Waters and the band performed Pink Floyd classic "Wish You Were Here" together. This year's Newport festival is also notable for the return of the same guitar that Bob Dylan played there in 1965 after "going electric." The Fender Stratocaster, which was bought in 2013 by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay for a staggering $965,000, was brought to the festival by the curator of Irsay's rare guitar collection. "Dylan's guitar is home," said festival producer Jay Sweet on July 24. - NME, 7/27/15...... Paul Simonon of the Clash and Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music will team up with Afrobeat legend Tony Allen for a performance at a festival in Italy during August. Simonon, Manzanera and Allen will perform alongside Italian musician Ligabue, Columbian singer Andrea Echeverri and London-based violinist Anna Phoebe at a concert at the La Notte della Taranta in Salento in south Italy on Aug. 22. Manzanera will also serve as the festival's Maestro Concertatore this year. - NME, 7/28/15...... Singer/songwriter Janis Ian of "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child" fame has responded to her being mentioned in a story in New York magazine about actor/comedian Bill Cosby allegedly sexually assaulting several women without their consent over the years. In a long, disturbing post on Facebook, Ian responds to an account of a 1966 incident when she was only 16 and performing "Society's Child" on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. It reads: "Exhausted from all the press, she [Ian] fell asleep on the lap of her female chaperone, a woman six or seven years older than her. After Ian had returned home, her manager called Ian and demanded to know what had happened at the taping, saying, 'no one else on TV is willing to have you on.' Apparently Cosby had seen Ian asleep in her chaperone's lap and told all the other shows she wasn't 'suitable family entertainment,' and that she 'was probably a lesbian, and shouldn't be on television.'" Ian begins her recollection on Facebook: "Do I have a stake in this issue? Yes. Of course. Outside of being female, outside of knowing women aren't 'heard' as loudly as men are heard, outside of firmly believing that if women were treated equally around the world, many if not all of the world's problems would no longer exist -- outside of all that... I have a personal stake." - Billboard, 7/29/15...... Joe Jackson, the 87-year-old dad of late King of Pop Michael Jackson and the other siblings in the Jackson 5, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on July 26 after suffering a stroke. Joe Jackson, who was in Brazil for a birthday party, is reportedly in stable condition, and about 10 Jackson family members are expected to arrive in Sao Paulo in the next few days to wish him well. Jackson arrived in Sao Paulo on July 22 and attended several events before falling ill. - AP, 7/28/15...... In other Michael Jackson-related news, a white sequined glove once worn by the Thriller singer has been put up for auction online by the Nate D. Sanders auction house, with bidding starting at $20,000. Jackson had given the right-handed glove to his artist friend, Paul Bedard, who painted more than a dozen pieces of historical figures sporting the glove for Jackson's home and Neverland ranch. In addition to the glove, the winning bidder will receive a photo of Bedard wearing the glove, some of the art he created for Jackson, and a typed authenticity declaration signed by Bedard himself. While $20,000 would be a lot to pay for a piece of rock memorabilia for most, it pales in comparison to the $420,000 selling price of the glove Jackson wore during his debut of the "Moonwalk" that sold just six months after he passed away in 2009, as well as another glove that sold for $160,000 in 2010. Also up for auction is the jacket Jackson wore in the "Bad" music video and album cover, with bids starting at a mere $10,000. - Billboard, 7/28/15...... Pop songstress Dionne Warwick has reacted to the recent passing of her second cousin, Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late superstar singer Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown. "Our family has had its share of sorrow these past few years," Warwick told People magazine on July 27, the day Bobbi Kristina died. "Bobbi is now sitting in the lap of our Heavenly Father and is now reunited with her beloved mother. She will be missed and I send many thanks for all of the prayers that were being said for her." Warwick appeared on the Bravo channel's Watch What Happens Live on July 26 just hours after news of Bobbi Kristina's death was made public. She said then, "She was a sweetheart, she will be missed -- she was a good girl. It's not easy. It's [manageable] because of our faith that Bobbi is with a much bigger and more powerful person, or thing, that she's in much better hands now." Bobbi Kristina, 22, had been in a medically induced coma since she was found unconscious in a bathtub at her Roswell, Ga., home on Jan. 31 and rushed to a nearby hospital. A preliminary autopsy released on July 27 stated that there was "no obvious underlying cause of death and no significant injuries were noted... No previously unknown medical conditions that could have contributed to death were identified." - Billboard, 7/27/15...... New research by the Musixmatch organization has shown that the Beatles rate low on the "verbose scale," in other words, Beatles music does not have a wide vocabular. Musixmatch compiled the 100 most linguistically dense songs of the top 93-selling artists ever, then compared the word count of these songs by their unique word use, the total number of words used and how often they used a new word to find the artist with the widest vocabulary. Not entirely surprisingly, hip-hop artists come out on top, with Eminem taking a considerable lead with a phenomenal word count of 8,818. The other top four artists are Jay-Z (6,899 words), Tupac Shakur (6,569 words), Kanye West (5,069) and Bob Dylan, who has a lexicon of 4,883 words, making him the top folk artist in the chart, as well as the musician who uses a new word in his songs most frequently, an average of one every nine words. Michael Jackson, Katy Perry and Neil Diamond have smaller vocabularies than the average, while Paul McCartney has a higher word count as a solo artist (1,903) than with the Beatles (1,872). The average word count, Musixmatch says, is 2,667 words. - AP, 7/27/15...... In other Fab Four-related news, Yoko Ono has announced she is teaming up with several artists including Death Cab for Cutie, Sparks, Mike Snow, Jack Douglas and her son Sean Lennon for a new album which will be a follow-up, of sorts, to her 2007 LP Yes, I'm a Witch.Yes, I'm a Witch Too, which boasts 16 tracks including "Mrs. Lennon" with guests Peter, Bjorn and John, is due on Jan. 22, 2016. - New Musical Express, 7/29/15...... The producers of a planned blues documentary on Chicago's music scene, including contributions from Jack White and Bob Dylan, are seeking financial support in order to secure rights to the music they are celebrating. Born In Chicago is being directed by John Anderson, who also directed the 2005 Brian Wilson documentary SMiLE, and documents the progression of the blues genre as it evolved in the city during the '50s and '60s. The team behind the film have launched a PledgeMusic campaign in order to raise money to secure the rights for the music and archived footage used in the documentary. The campaign runs until Sept. 16 and offers merchandise such as copies of the film, clothing and a box set collection (in multiple formats, including LP) for anyone who donates to the cause. The film features an array of interviews and performances from artists including BB King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, Eric Burdon and Charlie Musselwhite, among others. - NME, 7/24/15.

A handwritten note by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 to Beatles press officer Derek Taylor is currently being auctioned only by RR's Marvels of Modern Music. The letter, which references instructions for an unspecified concert, has John writing, "Audience must not be 'loaded' with 'officials' -- (Mayors and Kennedys) it must be mainly kids and critics. Any charity bits (the gate) only to be known after the event." Ono then takes over for the next three lines, stating: "Don't explain us -- John & Yoko. None of Yoko is a good artist but they ought to know by now." Lennon ends the letter, which has a bid of at least $1,000, by writing: "Tickets shouldn't be too expensive and none of that all Bernsteins and such likes kids getting the 'best' seats at the zoo." Another letter written by Doors frontman Jim Morrison in his L'Hotel room in Paris, where the singer moved after his band finished recording L.A. Woman in March 1971 less than three months before his death, is also up for auction and seems to be even more sought after. "Sorry not to have written sooner. It doesn't seem like I've been here this long. We've been travelling -- in Spain, (Granada was best) Morocco, Southern France & Corsica -- where I lost my jacket, money etc. & had to fly back to Paris to wait for more...," the reads the letter, which has pulled in a high bid of over $23,000 in RR's auction so far. - New Musical Express, 7/24/15...... In related news, a collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia will be auctioned in mid-August in conjunction with the annual "Elvis Week" memorial at Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis. Presley's most loyal (and financially comfortable) fans will be able to bid on the late icon's "Starburst" concert jumsuit and a signed Elvis guitar, amongst 172 other items. The auction is organised by Graceland Auctions and will take place in the singer's home, in the Graceland Archives Studio on Aug. 13. Fans unable to attend will be able to bid on the items online through eBay's Live Auctions' platform. - NME, 7/22/15...... Ahmed Best, the actor who provided the voice for the Jar Jar Binks character in the Star Wars series movie Episode I: The Phantom Menace, has revealed in a new interview with Vice magazine that Michael Jackson once lobbied for the role of Jar Jar Binks in the film. As a connoisseur of children's films and fantasy in general, the late King of Pop was interested in joining the cast of the Star Wars prequels during the '90s, and Best recounted a post-concert meeting at Wembley arena between himself, Jackson, Phantom Menace actress Natalie Portman, and the movie's director, George Lucas. "We were taken backstage and we met Michael. There was Michael and Lisa Marie [Presley]. George introduced me as 'Jar Jar' and I was like, That's kind of weird. Michael was like, 'Oh. OK.'" Later at a party Best said he questioned Lucas why he introduced him as Jar Jar, and Lucas said: "Well, Michael wanted to do the part but he wanted to do it in prosthetics and makeup like "Thriller."' George wanted to do it in CGI. My guess is ultimately Michael Jackson would have been bigger than the movie, and I don't think he wanted that." - Billboard, 7/24/15...... In other Michael Jackson news, the rights to a song co-written by the pop star for the long-running animated series The Simpsons have been sold to an anonymous buyer for $38,500. "Do The Bartman" was originally released in 1990, featuring on the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues. It was reportedly co-written by Michael Jackson, also featuring backing vocals from the late singer. The sale allegedly includes "both BMI and Sony Publishing royalties" from the song, as well as royalties for collection of other songs by Bryan Loren, who co-wrote and produced the song with Jackson. In 1998, Simpsons creator Matt Groening said in an interview that "It has always been amazing to me that no-one ever found out that Michael Jackson wrote that song." However, Loren is claiming the sole songwriting credit for "Do the Bartman," despite Groening's statement. "While it's true, along with me, Michael Jackson does sing backing vocals.... And so, obviously, he was involved. Perhaps this tidbit of info is not as sensational as saying MJ co-wrote the song, but I assure you, he did not," he said. - New Musical Express, 7/22/15...... Musicians Flo & Eddie of the '60s pop group The Turtles have lost a bid to halt SiriusXM's $210 million settlement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) over music recorded prior to 1972. Flo & Eddie had earlier filed a class action lawsuit questioning if SiriusXM could play pre-1972 music (when federal copyright laws were changed to cover sound recordings) without authorization or royalties, and filed again earlier in July calling for the settlement to be halted to wait on their case. The pair received a landmark summary judgment ruling in their favor in Sept. 2014, and months later, in May 2015, they had another huge win when they received certification of their proposed class of musicians who recorded songs prior to 1972. SiriusXM appealed the certification, and the court stayed the case pending the ruling. The Ninth Circuit hasn't yet ruled in the case. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/23/15...... Neil Young is once again taking aim at the Monsanto corporation in a new Facebook post and short video, which warns citizens about a "dark act up for a vote in the House of Representatives [that] takes away the rights of people to vote for or against things like GMO (genetically-modified seed) labeling in their states." Accompanying his political warning is a 10-minute documentary from his film company, Shakey Pictures, called Seeding Fear. The mini-doc details the experience of famer Michael White, one of the few farmers who successfully stood up to Monsanto in court and is legally permitted to speak about it. - Billboard, 7/23/15...... A director for the forthcoming documentary about the late innovative rocker Frank Zappa, which is due in 2017, has been named. Alex Winter, who famously starred with Keanu Reeves in 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, has directing credits that include Freaked and Forever as well as documentaries like Downloaded, which profiled Napster's Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning. The production will have exclusive access to the Zappa Vault, a collection of unseen visual and audio recordings, in addition to previously released video clips, interviews and concert recordings. Winter says that "our tale will be told primarily in Frank's own words; he will be our guide through this journey." In a statement, Zappa's widow, Gail Zappa, praised Winter and said "We couldn't be happier to be working with Alex, an extraordinary filmmaker in his own right." - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/23/15...... In other rock biopic news, actor Don Cheadle's new Miles Davis movie, Miles Ahead, will make its world premiere as the closing night film at the New York Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 25 through Oct. 11. Miles Ahead has been a long-time passion project for Cheadle, who stars as the jazz musician and directs for the first time. The film concentrates on Davis' reemergence in 1980 after his so-called "silent period" in the late 1970s. The film does not yet have distribution in North America. - AP, 7/22/15...... Bette Midler wrapped her Divine Intervention Tour with two London shows on July 18 and 19 with a total of $32 million grossed. The final performances of the pop diva's latest trek -- her first touring production since 2004 -- drew 22,991 fans and grossed $3.2 million, the second-highest gross on the tour. Midler's concerts were good for a fourth place in Billboard Box Office top tours list for July 14-20, behind the Grateful Dead, Taylor Swift and Kenney Chesney. - Billboard, 7/23/15...... Led Zeppelin has shared a stream for a previously unreleased version of their track "When The Levee Breaks," alternatively titled "If It Keeps On Raining." The alternate recording appears on the reissue of 1982 album Coda, released after drummer John Bonham's death, and set to be reissued in a remastered version by Page on July 31. This rough mix was recorded at London's Island Studios in Nov. 1970. - NME, 7/23/15...... Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards hosted a listening party for his upcoming solo album, Crosseyed Heart, on July 21 at Electric Lady Studios in New York's Greenwich Village. Crosseyed Heart, Richards' third solo effort, has been described as "a lot stronger than the lion's share of the Stones' '90s material," and is set to drop on Sept. 18. - Billboard, 7/22/15...... Drummer Alan White of the prog-rock band Yes says his band plans to soldier on after the recent death of bassist and sole constant Yes member Chris Squire. "It's certainly going to be hard without him, but he called me and asked me to keep everything going regardless of what happens," says White, who's been part of Yes since 1972 "So absolutely we're moving ahead. I'm gonna do it for him." And White says he's confident that after talking to the other members of Yes and from fan reaction following Squire's June 27 death from acute erythroid leukemia at the age of 67, few will have a problem with that decision to continue. "Everything has been pretty positive in that regard," White notes. "[The fans] are behind the band and want the band to keep moving forward here. It doesn't seem like anybody's kind of given up on the band, which is really encouraging and it'll help us move things forward. Things can't just stop, you know? We've got to maintain the Yes name and... meet the high standards of musicianship Chris created." Yes will embark on its Cruise To The Edge Tour in November in Miami, and also has a UK tour planned in the spring of 2016. The group released a new album, "Heaven & Earth," last year, but White thinks it will be awhile before Yes entertains recording again. "I think it's too early days yet to really venture into thinking like that," the drummer says. "We just want to get the band on an even keel first, I think, before we even think about writing new stuff." - Billboard, 7/21/15...... Could New Jersey governor and 2016 presidential hopeful Chris Christie be accused of a flip-flop? Interviewed by the conservative website LifeZette, Christie and his wife Mary Pat both immediately responded with "Bon Jovi" when asked "Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi?" in a lightning round. Christie had previously declared his love for all things Springsteen in an interview with The Atlantic, where he claimed to have attended over 130 show in a 40-year period. In a statement, Jon Bon Jovi -- who admits his allegiance lies with democratic presidential candidateHillary Clinton -- confirmed he had given Christie approval to use his songs. "My friendships are apolitical," the rocker said, "and yes, I absolutely gave him permission to use my songs." Springsteen famously took a shot at Christie in 2014 in an appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon with a song parody of "Born To Run" entitled "Governor Chris Christie's Fort Lee, New Jersey Traffic Jam." Gov. Christie had previously asked Springsteen to perform at his 2010 inauguration party, but the longtime Democrat declined. - Billboard, 7/22/15...... AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was released on bail on July 20 after he was arrested just 10 days into his home detention sentence for drugs possession and threats to kill. A New Zealand newspaper reported that Rudd, 61, was hosting prostitutes at his home on North Island on July 18 when he was arrested again for carousing with the prositutes. He was ordered to appear in court on Aug. 3 to enter a plea to the charges, and will be required to undergo drug and alcohol testing upon police request. - New Musical Express, 7/20/15...... Singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins, who wrote and recorded the famous tune "House at Pooh Corner" and released an album based on the song, Return to Pooh Corner, in 1994, says he's planning a return to children's music. "It's the direction I want to take the rest of my career," Loggins says. "It's very comfortable for me; I feel very confident in that arena and I know what's needed. Right from the beginning I saw that most children's music is just unlistenable, and my goal was to make a record the parents would love as much as the children." Loggins says his new projects will include a new uptempo kids album, All Join In and a collection of lullabies that includes a new treatment of "Danny's Song," his hit with Jim Messina that also became a top 10 charting cover for Anne Murray. Loggins says he's currently shopping for labels. "My hope is to place the uptempo record and the lullaby record and maybe get a third-record deal." Loggins performs five songs on a new episode of the Disney XD animated series Penn Zero Part-Time Hero, which premiered on July 24. He'll also have a song in an episode of Disney's Phineas and Ferb that airs in September. - Billboard, 7/21/15...... Actor Alex Rocco, the veteran tough-guy actor with the gravelly voice best known for playing mobster and Las Vegas casino owner Moe Greene in the acclaimed 1972 film The Godfather, died on July 18 of as yet unnanounced causes. He was 79. Rocco, who studied acting with the late Leonard Nimoy, a fellow Boston-area transplant, also was the voice of Roger Meyers Jr., the cigar-smoking chairman of the studio behind "Itchy and Scratchy" on The Simpsons, and he played Arthur Evans, the father of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, on the stylish Starz series Magic City. Rocco also won an Best Supporting Actor Emmy in 1990 for his role in the short-lived CBS series The Famous Teddy Z, and also had regular roles on The Facts of Life, The George Carlin Show, Three for the Road, Sibs and The Division. - Yahoo News, 7/19/15...... Actor Theodore Bikel, a prolific stage and screen performer and political activist who created the role of Captain Georg Von Trapp in the original Broadway production of "The Sound of Music," died of natural causes on July 21 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 91. Conversant in a number of languages, Bikel's background and versatility led to a wide, multinational range of roles. Often playing authority figures, the native of Vienna starred as a Dutch doctor in The Little Kidnappers (1953); a Germany submarine officer in The Enemy Below (1957); a French general in The Pride and the Passion (1957); Russian military men in Fraulein (1958) and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1965); and a Hungarian phonetics expert in My Fair Lady (1964). Other memorable feature credits include The African Queen (1951), I Want to Live! (1958), See You in the Morning (1989), Crisis in the Kremlin (1992) and Shadow Conspiracy (1996). On television, Bikel made hundreds of appearances, co-starring as Henry Kissinger in the 1989 ABC miniseries The Final Days and guesting on shows as diverse as The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, Law & Order, JAG, Columbo and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also had recurring roles on the primetime soaps Dynasty andFalcon Crest. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/21/15.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

The 2015 Newport Folk Festival, which is set for July 24-26 in Fort Adams State Park, R.I., will mark the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan famously "going electric" with a closing-night Dylan tribute to be performed by a still-secret lineup of artists. On July 25, 1965, the famous 24-year-old folkie strode onstage in a black leather jacket and launched into a searing, distortion-filled, three-song electric set that brought boos from folk purists but thrilled others. After his controversial set, Dylan returned to play the Newport Folk Festival only once, in 2002. Festival organizers say there is a standing invitation for him to play whenever he wants, but he will not be performing this year. The Fender Stratocaster guitar he played that night was auctioned for nearly $1 million, the highest price ever paid for a guitar at auction. On July 14, a new book exploring the concert in detail by Elijah Wald, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties, was published by Dey Street Books. - AP, 7/19/15...... With his remastering sessions for Led Zeppelin's final three albums, Presence,In Through the Out Door and Coda in the can and set for release on July 31, Jimmy Page says he's set to pursue a "new project" that will be a "live return." "The one thing I haven't been seen to be doing recently is playing guitar. So now I've got the opportunity to put all my drive into playing the guitar and working out what way to present myself next," Page recently told New Musical Express. "I think it's safe to assume that will be a new project. I don't know who with yet because I haven't had a chance to work on it, but I've got material that's written I want to revisit and well, it's an exciting time," he added. In Sept. 2014, Page revealed that he planned to start a new group that would perform career-spanning tracks from his back catalogue, along with "some new material." Page also said the remastered Led Zeppelin catalog represents "closure" to "the recording world, the studio world of Led Zeppelin." - New Musical Express, 7/17/15...... Just days after being sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him, former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has been arrested again in by authorities in New Zealand, who have not disclosed the reasons for the latest arrest. Rudd's latest arrest came on July 19 and he is currently behind bars, though his lawyer, Craig Tuck, says he is due to appear in court on July 20 for a bail application. Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home confinement on July 9 after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a former employee and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. AC/DC is currently using Welsh drummer Chris Slade for its Rock or Bust album tour, but hasn't said whether it plans on replacing Rudd with Slade permanently. - AP, 7/19/15...... After revealing in March that he was releasing a new solo album, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has released the tracklisting for the new LP, called Rattle That Lock and set for worldwide release on Sept. 18. In addition to the title track, Rattle That Lock's 10 songs include "5 A.M," "Faces Of Stone," "A Boat Lies Waiting," "Dancing Right In Front Of Me," "In Any Tongue," "Beauty," "The Girl In The Yellow Dress," "Today" and "And Then." His longtime writing partner Polly Samson contributes lyrics to the new album, which is co-produced by Gilmour and Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera. Gilmour also announced he'll play four U.S. dates in 2016 behind the new album, opening at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl on Mar. 24, Toronto's ACC on Mar. 31, Chicago's United Center on Apr. 8 and Madison Square Garden in New York on Apr. 11. Before then, he'll tour the U.K. and Europe in September. - Billboard, 7/16/15...... Local Asbury Park, N.J., bar band Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers' set on July 18 at the Wonder Bar had a surprise guest, Bruce Springsteen, 15 minutes into the show. The Boss, who produced the band's 1995 album American Babylon, jammed with Grushecky on 15 songs, including "Racing in the Street," "Adam Raised a Cain," "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "Save My Love," "Atlantic City" and "Pink Cadillac." Thanks to rabid texting among those in the 300-capacity venue, it didn't take long before a crowd gathered on the sidewalk, trying to listen in to the show. Springsteen took notice, dedicating "Light of Day" -- and leading the through the chorus of classic "Land of 1,000 Dances" -- to the "people out in the street." Also performed that evening was "Code of Silence," a song co-written by Springsteen and Grushecky that won the pair a Grammy Award in 2004. - Billboard, 7/19/15...... One More For the Fans!, a new Lynyrd Skynyrd CD/DVD tribute set out July 24, features performances by surviving members of the seminal Southern Rock band along with 19 other artists, including Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman, Gov't Mule, John Hiatt, Trace Adkins, Alabama, Aaron Lewis and more. Coordinated by musical director Don Was, the concert took place on Nov. 12, 2014 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, the same venue where Skynyrd's 1977 live double-LP set One More From the Road was recorded. Lynyrd Skynyrd is currently on tour in North America, with dates booked into early October. - Billboard, 7/17/15...... Queen has announced it will release a deluxe 18-LP vinyl collection of all 15 of its studio albums on Sept. 25. Reported to be five years in the making, the remastered Queen Studio Collection box set will also come with a 108-page hardback book which features introductions to each album, quotes from Queen themselves, hand-written lyrics, rare photographs, memorabilia, and information on singles and videos. Also, a limited-edition Queen-themed record player manufactured by Rega will be available to coincide with the box set. "Queen always had a special fondness for vinyl, the medium in which they first began to create, around 1970," the band said in a press release. "As a matter of principle, every Queen studio album was offered at the time of original release on vinyl, even well into the era when CDs had taken over as the medium of choice for most of the public," it added. - NME, 7/16/15...... In related news, '70s rockers the Faces will release a career-spanning vinyl box set of all four of its studio albums, as well as a fifth disc of non-LP singles. 1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything is named after the band's final single and will also feature a variety of extras, such as outtakes and rehearsal recordings. Due out on Aug. 28, the set will feature the Faces' four studio efforts, 1970's First Step, 1971's Long Player and An Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse, and 1973's Ooh La La. The set will also be available on compact disc. - NME, 7/19/15...... A new Sly & the Family Stone MP3 box set, Live At The Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968, documents four concerts by the famous '70s funksters just 10 months prior to their legendary 1969 Woodstock performance. Dropping on July 17, the set features four shows at the legendary New York venue that capture the group at the height of its powers. The band's label, Epic, had planned to release a live album from the Fillmore shows in 1969, but tabled those plans in favor of a new studio album with the band's next single, "Everyday People," was a smash. The recordings subsequently became widely circulated bootlegs but appear in pristine form on Sony Legacy's new four-disc set, whose booklet includes comments by surviving members of the group. - Billboard, 7/16/15...... Gene Simmons of Kiss, who happens to be a friend of 2016 Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, appeared on CNN Tonight with moderator Don Lemon on July 15 to discuss Trump's controversial campaign so far. While he joked that asking him about presidential politics was like "people asking Jeb Bush about what he thinks of Led Zeppelin," Simmons did say that Trump has been "ungentlemanly" and is "better and smarter" than his recent comments suggest. "Fear creates all times of havoc. Sometimes it creates hate," Simmons said about Trump's comments regarding Mexican immigrants. Regardless, Simmons called Trump a great father, a friend and a "straight shooter." The shock-rocker also had a few kind words for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton -- "She has a lot to say and a lot to offer." - Billboard, 7/16/15...... Neil Young has been fined $10,000 after his 23-song set went past a city noise curfew in the Detroit-area DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Mich., on July 14. Young's encore of two songs, "Don't Be Denied" and "Roll Another Number," lasted 10 minutes past the mandatory 11 p.m. curfew and triggered a $1,000-per-minute fine. The venue is in close proximity to residential areas and the curfew has been in place since the early 2000's. Meanwhile, Young has announced he is withdrawing his music from all streaming services, saying "I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting." In a post on his Facebook page, the folk-rocker said: "Streaming has ended for me. I hope this is ok for my fans. It's not because of the money, although my share (like all the other artists) was dramatically reduced by bad deals made without my consent. It's about sound quality. I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution. I don't feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans. It's bad for my music. For me, It's about making and distributing music people can really hear and feel. I stand for that. When the quality is back, I'll give it another look. Never say never." Young has spent the better part of the past two years pushing adoption of high-fidelity audio, and as of July 15 his music was still available to stream on Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music. - Billboard, 7/15/15...... The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., announced on July 15 that Carole King and the Eagles will be among the six honorees of the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. Also recognized with the honor this year will be actresses Rita Moreno and Cicely Tyson, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and acclaimed music director Seiji Ozawa. The Kennedy Center Honors culminates in a gala performance Dec. 6 in Washington, featuring top entertainers. The show will be broadcast Dec. 29 on CBS. - AP, 7/15/15...... Prolific rock songwriter and producer Buddy Buie, known for his collaborations with the '60s band Classics IV and '70s Southern Rock hitmakers The Atlanta Rhythm Section, died on July 18 in Dothan, Ala., after suffering a heart attack. He was 74. After an initial success producing and writing hits for the Jacksonville, Fla., quintet Classics IV, which charted four Top 40 hits in 1968 and 1969 including "Spooky," "Stormy," "Traces" and "Everyday With You Girl," Buie hooked up with the Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1974, becoming its manager and co-writing several of their hits. Buie was a profilic songwriter, penning 340 songs in the BMI catalog, nearly all of them crafted in Eufaula, Ala., on Thomas Mill Creek, where he had a small fishing trailer. An Alabama native who spent most of his songwriting career in Atlanta, Buie was inducted into both the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. His songs were covered by such diverse artists as Wynonna Judd, Garth Brooks, Gloria Estefan, Travis Tritt, David Sanborn, Carlos Santana and John Legend, and his music also appeared in several films and TV shows, including Lost in Translation, Just Like Heaven and The Fighter. "Just last week Buddy shared his enthusiasm, and support, for the band, saying he wanted to come hear the new songs we added to the show. We will miss Buddy's contributions, musically, professionally, and most of all personally," The Atlanta Rhythm Section posted on its official Facebook page on July 18. - RNN/AP, 7/19/15.

Paul McCartney issued a statement on July 10 speaking out against Britain's new Tory government, which has proposed the 2004 Hunting Act be amended to allow the return of fox hunting. "The people of Britain are behind this Tory government on many things but the vast majority of us will be against them if hunting is reintroduced," Sir Paul said. "It is cruel and unnecessary and will lose them support from ordinary people and animal lovers like myself," he continued. A day earlier, the Conservatives proposed an amendment which would allow foxes to be hunted if it was done in order to protect other animals, and the pack could be allowed to flush a fox out of hiding but not kill it. The proposals will be voted upon in Parliament on July 15. Also on July 9, Queen's Brian May slammed the pro-hunting group Countryside Alliance in a debate with its representative Jim Barrington on BBC Newsnight, and later labeled them as "a bunch of lying bastards." "There is no justification for the hunting of foxes on the grounds of control of foxes," the Queen guitarist and animal activist said. "They breed them to hunt, it's all about people out there trying to catch foxes for fun, they like causing pain and this is what [Prime Minister David] Cameron is endorsing." - New Musical Express, 7/10/15...... Meanwhile, Rod Stewart is livid that a photo of him wearing a seal skin coat is being used in an ad for the controversial industry. Stewart posted on his Facebook page on July 14 that as he was in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, to play a concert he stopped in a store to pick up capes for some of his crew, and that he obliged the store's manager to pose for a photo wearing a seal skin jacket. Stewart says he regrets that he didn't check what the jacket was made of and is upset the photo is being used as an advertisement for an industry he does not support. But the Always in Vogue store's manager, Darren Halloran, claims Stewart and his entourage were indeed informed and it's possible he wasn't aware of the politics surrounding the seal industry. Stewart headlined an outdoor summer festival in St. John's on July 11. On July 14, Stewart appeared on CBS's Late Late Show with James Corden and candidly recalled tales of his rowdy tour days in the 1970s with the Faces. "We were outrageous with the Faces. In what way? Drinking and a shagging. And a drinking and a shagging. That's what we did. And smashing up hotel rooms," the 70-year-old said. With Corden accompanying, Stewart also performed his Cat Stevens-penned hit "The First Cut Is the Deepest," his 1979 smash "Do You Think I'm Sexy," and "Ooh La La," a Faces classic from 1973. - The Canadian Press/Billboard, 7/15/15...... A double-breasted black woolen jacket worn by Ringo Starr in the 1965 Beatles movie Help! is being auctioned by Boston-based RR Auctions from July 16 through July 23. Starr's dapper jacket is among nearly 500 items for sale in a "Marvels of Modern Music" online auction, including a 1971 letter written by Doors frontman Jim Morrison from Paris to a couple in Beverly Hills, Calif., and a 1980 custom-designed Hamer electric guitar used by Johnny Ramone. - AP, 7/9/15...... In an essay published Rolling Stone magazine, Tom Petty says he regrets using the Confederate flag in the 1980s during his Southern Comfort Tour and calls it "downright stupid." While Petty said he grew up in Gainesville, Fla., where the flag was the "wallpaper of the South," he asks his fellow Southernors to take a step back and ask themselves what that symbol looks like to African-Americans. "The way we're losing black men and citizens in general is horrific," he writes. "What's going on in society is unforgivable. As a country, we should be more concerned with why the police are getting away with targeting black men and killing them for no reason. That's a bigger issue than the flag." - Billboard, 7/14/15...... Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has unveiled a trailer for his upcoming concert film, Roger Waters The Wall. First screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, the film will be released in theateres worldwide for one day only on Sept. 29. It follows Waters' "The Wall Live Tour," which ran between 2010 and 2013 and was seen by nearly four million people. It was the largest worldwide tour ever undertaken by a solo artist and was the first time any Pink Floyd member had played their 1979 concept album The Wall in two decades. Meanwhile, Waters is scheduled to headline the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, which runs from July 24-26 in Fort Adams State Park, R.I. It will be his first peformance ever at the legendary festival, and his first live show since Sept. 2013. - New Musical Express, 7/13/15...... Las Vegas' Clark County Coroner issued a statement on July 13 saying an autopsy sought by two of B.B. King's 11 adult children shows the cause of death was Alzheimer's disease with other physical conditions. Daughters Karen Williams and Patty King had alleged that King's business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, hastened their father's death through poisoning. Brent Bryson -- a lawyer for King's estate, Toney and Johnson -- called the claims defamatory and libelous. The ruling by the coroner closes the official investigation of the death of King, who died on May 14 while in hospice care at his Las Vegas home at age 89. - AP, 7/13/15...... NBC has cast newcomer Alvia Lind, age 7, to portray Dolly Parton in its upcoming Coat of Many Colors movie about the country music icon. Based on Parton's humble upbringing, Coat of Many Colors is a family-oriented faith-based story about the incidents in Parton's and her family's life around the time she was 9 years old. The movie is set in the Tennessee Great Smokey Mountains in 1955. Lind, whose acting credits include the Lifetime Will Ferrell movie A Deadly Adaption as well as Masters of Sex and Transparent, says she was surprised when Parton herself called to inform her she had gotten the part after a call-back audition. - The Hollywood Repoerter, 7/13/15...... In other country music news, country artists Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride and Jim Lauderdale were honored on July 11 for their life-long musical contributions at the 32nd Annual American Eagle Awards during a Nashville trade show gathering of the National Association of Music Merchants. Rosanne Cash and the Oak Ridge Boys performed in celebration of this year's honorees. - AP, 7/12/15...... The BBC announced on July 10 that it will no longer play or use music from Neil Young, The Doors, Journey or Bonnie Raitt after those artists withdrew from the UK's Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), no longer wishing to be accept the society's licensing agreements. The BBC's legal department says the organization had no means of paying those artists when their songs were broadcasted and due to fear of copyright infringement, will not be able to do so until an agreement is reached with their publishers. As well as the music by the artists, the BBC have also blacklisted any covers of their songs by other artists or tracks that sample their music. Wixen Music, the rights representative of these artists, eleased a statement in response to the news saying: "The BBC can use Neil Young and The Doors any time they negotiate a license with us to do so in a given programme. All we are saying is that we wont pre-approve uses or fees if the clients have not had an opportunity to review and approve the uses and fees. In the USA, where these artists are based, TV uses are approved and fees negotiated by the artists and songwriters, or their representatives, and our clients are not used to blanket pre-agreed uses and fees." - NME, 7/10/15...... Joan Jett has issued a statement denying she had any knowledge of a recent claim by her former Runaways bandmate Jackie Fox that she was once raped by the Runaways' manager Kim Fowley after a roadie insisted she take a Quaalude pill and did so while Jett and others watched. "Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened," said Jett in a statement. "For a group of young teenagers thrust into 70s rock stardom there were relationships that were bizarre, but I was not aware of this incident. Obviously Jackie's story is extremely upsetting and although we haven't spoken in decades, I wish her peace and healing," added Jett, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in April. Kim Fowley died of bladder cancer in Jan. 2015. - Billboard, 7/10/15..... Guitarist Billy Zoom of the legendary late 70's L.A. punk band X revealed on July 9 that he is battling bladder cancer and is set to begin chemotherapy later in July. Zoom, 67, is known for his "punkabilly" riffs, wide stance, famous coif, and constant onstage grin. The announcement stunned X fans who have come to enjoy an ongoing succession of X reunion tours that have lasted far longer than the group's original tenure did. In the first day of a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Zoom's treatment, over 700 donors pledged more than $40,000 toward the stated goal of "$50,000 to Help Billy Zoom Kick Cancer's Ass." Although X has undertaken at least eight national U.S. tours since 1998, they haven't recorded any new material as a unit during that 17-years-and-running resumption. - Billboard, 7/10/15...... Kinks guitarist and co-founder Dave Davies has announced he'll perform a rare concert at London's Islington Assembly Hall on Dec. 18, 2015. Davies will be performing solo songs from his several critically acclaimed albums, hits and Kinks classics which showcase his unique writing style along with the revolutionary guitar sound he created and such classics as "You Really Got Me." Davies' band will feature guitarist Jonathan Lee, bassist Tom Currier, and drummer Dennis Diken of the Smithereens. Tickets went on sale on July 13. - Noble PR, 7/10/15...... Music City Mayhem "Female Rock Vocalist of the Year" and bassist extraordinaire Jasmine Cain has been nominated for Best Alternative Rock Band for the 9th Annual Nashville Independent Music Awards (NIMA). NIMA9 will take place at 3rd & Lindsley (818 3rd Ave S.) on Aug. 29. The NIMA nomination highlights a breakout year for Cain, who is set to self-release her 5th studio album, White Noise, on July 24. Cain will embark on a 31-date US tour on July 17 in Indianapolis, opening for Night Ranger. The tour continues through Nov. 21. - 1888 Media, 7/13/15...... Songwriter/producer/composer Michael Masser, who worked with such artists as Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on July 9. He was 74. Masser's compositions included Houston's "The Greatest Love of All," Ross' "The Last Time I Saw Him" and "Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You" by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. In 2007, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His first big hit came with Ross' chart-topping recording of "Touch Me In the Morning," which he co-wrote and co-produced. That was followed with Ross' "Theme from 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)," which he co-wrote with Gerald Goffin and also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. After learning of his passing, Diana Ross posted a remembrance on Twitter the following day: "Michael Masser. so many memories He will live on. through his beautiful songs Touch me in the morning, It's my turn Theme from Mahogany." - Billboard, 7/10/15...... John Vickers, a Canadian-born opera singer nicknamed "God's tenor" for his inimitable voice and strong Christian beliefs, died on July 10 in the Canadian province of Ontario after a struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 88. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1926, Mr. Vickers sang as a child in church choirs and aspired to study medicine before winning a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He made his Royal Opera debut in 1957, and the following year he performed at Germany's Bayreuth festival, going on to become one of the world's leading performers of Richard Wagner. From 1960, he was a regular at New York's Metropolitan Opera, where his signature roles included Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes." - AP, 7/13/15...... Omar Sharif, the dashing Egyptian-born actor known for his roles in such epic films as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, died on July 10 in Cairo after suffering a heart attack. He was 83. With his dark eyes, debonair demeanor and exotic accent, Mr. Sharif was considered one of the most handsome men on the planet, his looks getting as much attention as his acting ability. He earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Lawrence of Arabia and won a Golden Globe Award for it and Dr. Zhivago. His other film credits include the parody film Top Secret! created by the Airplane! team, and he appeared as the Sorcerer in a production of Gulliver's Travels. In the 1990s, he had both a perfume and a brand of cigarettes named after him. "My great friend Omar Sharif has passed away. I will always miss him. He was one of the best," tweeted his friend Antonio Bandaras, who starred with Mr. Sharif in 1999's The 13th Warrior. - CNN, 7/10/15...... Longtime Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, nicknamed "The Snake" for his ability to elude defensive players, died on July 9 in Gulfport, Miss., after a battle with colon cancer. He was 69. A native of Foley, Ala., Stabler played collegiately under legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season in 1966 and was an All-American in 1967. Stabler was also a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1974, when he led the league in touchdown passes with 26. Prior to the 1980 season, Stabler was traded to the Houston Oilers, where he played for two seasons before finishing his NFL career for three seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 1982-84. In his professional career, Stabler threw for 27,938 yards, 194 touchdowns and 222 interceptions. After Stabler retired from the NFL, he worked as a color commentator for CBS NFL telecasts and also called Alabama games on the radio until 2009. "When you think about the Raiders you think about Ken Stabler. Kenny loved life. It is a sad day for all Raiders," former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden said in a statement. - Yahoo News, 7/10/15.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

A New Hampshire radio station has made available all three shows from the Grateful Dead's sold-out three night run of Fare Thee Well concerts on the SoundCloud.com website. Radio station 93.5 WMWV compiled the performances, which will be released on Nov. 20 in a variety of formats, including 12 CDs and seven DVDs or Blu-ray discs. The Grateful Dead played their final ever show on July 5 at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 5, teaming up with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio for the gigs, replacing frontman Jerry Garcia. Soldier Field was also the venue which the band played it's last show with Garcia before his August 1995 death of a heart attack during his stay at a drug rehabilitation facility in California. The remainder of the band (Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann) had not performed live under the name since the "Fare Thee Well" shows, instead touring as The Dead or The Other Ones. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 7/9/15...... AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand judge on July 8 after the musician pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a man who used to work for him, along with possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. Rudd, 61, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court on New Zealand's North Island, and could have faced up to seven years in prison on the threatening to kill charge. He pleaded guilty to the charges in April, acknowledging in a court summary of facts that he'd offered large amounts of cash, vehicles and a house to an associate after asking him to have the victim "taken out." He also acknowledged that he'd directly said to the victim he was going to kill him. Rudd has since been replaced by former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade in the band's current line-up. - AP, 7/8/15...... A member of The Who's live band who often plays keyboards on stage has posted on the band's official website that The Who stepped into replace Prince at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival just one month before the show, and that their headline set was "sabotaged" by an unnamed individual who fiddled with the band's equipment at the concert. "Not many know that we were a last-months addition to the show, replacing Prince who decided not to come this year," the June 28 blog post reads. It also says that "we found someone had sabotaged the carefully-tested audio connections for much of our gear...We've never seen that before, but we're good at plugging things in, so all damage was repaired in time." The blog also goes into detail with guitarist Pete Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey's own frustrations with their performance on the night, though not everyone agreed with Townshend's feeling that the gig was "one of the very worst the band had ever played." The Who headlined the Pyramid Stage on June 28, the final night of Glastonbury 2015 with a set that finished with Townshend mocking the previous night's headliner, rapper Kayne West, who boasted he was "the biggest rock star in the world." - NME, 7/9/15...... A forthcoming live television production of the 1978 smash movie Grease has tapped actor Aaron Tveit of Graceland to portray Danny Zuko, the role made famous by John Travolta in the film. Grease: Live, set to air on the Fox network on Jan. 31, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. EST, will also star Big Time Rush's Carlos PenaVega as Kenickie, played by Jeff Conoway in the movie. Tveit is an accomplished theater actor who starred in Catch Me If You Can and created the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical "Next to Normal." His TV credits include starring in USA Network's Graceland as well as the feature film adaptation of "Les Miserables." - Billboard, 7/9/15...... The Rolling Stones will release a limited edition 12" 45 rpm single of their influential 1965 single "Satisfaction" on July 10, ABCKO Records, which owns the rights to the band's pre-1971 recordings, announced on July 8. July 10 also marks 50 years to the day that "Satisfaction" topped Billboard's Hot 100. The new single will feature two tracks, "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" and "The Spider and the Fly," on the flipside. Meanwhile, the band says it is "dumbfounded" that an exhibition poster for its upcoming "Exhibitionism" exhibit at London's Saatchi Gallery in 2016 has been banned from London subway stations. The poster, which depicts a scattily-clad woman with the band's iconic logo positioned at her crotch, was rejected by advertising regulators who deemed it too risque to display, and a spokesperson for the band calls it a "rather silly decision." "Perhaps something to do with the fact that it's the Rolling Stones and controversy still seems to follow them everywhere," he said. Instead of the planned poster, London stations and bus stops will see an altered version featuring the logo positioned over the woman's belly button instead. In other Rolling Stones news, guitarist Keith Richards has confirmed he'll release Crosseyed Heart, his first solo effort in 23 years, on Sept. 18 via Virgin EMI. The first single from the 15-track album, "Trouble," will be released on July 17. "I had a ball making this new record and working with [drummer] Steve Jordan and [guitarist] Waddy Wachtel again," Richards said. The record will feature contributions from the Stones' late saxophonist Bobby Keys, who died in December 2014. Meanwhile, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts made a surprise appearance the Detroit Jazz Show on July 7, sitting in with Band 2, a group led by Stones touring saxophonist (and Detroit native) Tim Ries and also features Stones bassist Darryl Jones. Watts, sporting a black leather jacket, a red sweatshirt and a smile, was introduced by Ries as "a new young drummer just on the scene" and joined the group for renditions of the 1930s standards "For All We Know" or "All Or Nothing At All," both of which were popularized by Frank Sinatra. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 7/8/15...... An attorney for Joni Mitchell has stated in court documents released on July 7 that the iconic folk-rock singer, who was was hospitalized due to a stroke and brain aneurysm in March, is now talking and "is expected to make a full recovery." In the new court documents related to the singer's conservatorship, Mitchell's attorney Rebecca J. Thyne described visiting her client at home on June 26: "When I arrived she was seated at her kitchen table feeding herself lunch. She also told me that she receives excellent care from caregivers round-the-clock. It was clear that she was happy to be home and that she has made remarkable progress. She has physical therapy each day and is expected to make a full recovery." The purpose of the documents was that Thyne recommended that Michell's longtime friend Leslie Morris (who has been acting as her temporary conservator) be officially appointed her conservator. According to Thyne, Mitchell should be judged to lack the capacity to give informed consent for medical treatment. The news of Mitchell's condition comes after her longtime friend David Crosby said in June that the 71-year-old singer-songwriter was not speaking. - Billboard, 7/7/15...... Rock drummer Bruce Rowland, whose prolific career included session work for a long list of artists as well as stints with Fairport Convention and Joe Cocker's Grease Band, has died in a hospice at the age of 74. Rowland joined the Grease Band in 1969, while they served as Cocker's backing band, and was part of the lineup for Cocker's performance at Woodstock as well as his second solo LP, Joe Cocker! Cocker and the Grease Band split in 1970, but Rowland remained in the lineup for the band's own self-titled studio effort the following year. He remained busy after leaving the Grease Band, booking a string of session dates and filtering through Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance. He entered Fairport Convention's orbit during the turbulent recording of 1972's widely bootlegged Manor Album, eventually becoming a full-fledged member after drummer Dave Mattacks quit the group in 1975. - UltimateClassicRock.com, 7/1/15...... As Ringo Starr turned 75 years old on July 7, the famous Beatles drummer received many messages of birthday love from his fellow famous friends, including Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Steven Tyler, Mickey Dolenz and Paul Stanley. "Happiest of birthdays to @ringostarrmusic on this special day. It's my Dad's too - he would have been 113!," Paul McCartney posted on Twitter. "Happy Birthday, Ringo! And Many, Many moreLet us count the ways. How we love you. From an old acquaintance, yoko," tweeted John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. Meanwhile, Yoko Ono has commented on alleged ISIS terrorist Mohammed Emwazi, who has been dubbed "Jihadi John" after acquiring his nickname from John Lennon. Speaking to the London Observer, Ono said: "I thought that was very distasteful... I'm not going to let them destroy [the memory of] John Lennon or The Beatles." In February, intelligence forces revealed that the Kuwait-born Emwazi is the man behind the Jihadi John guise, who is thought to be responsible for the beheadings of many Westerners. Previously, Ringo Starr criticized the nickname, saying: "It's bullshit. What [ISIS] are doing out there is against everything The Beatles stood for. If we stood for anything we never stood for that. The four of us absolutely stood for peace and love." - Billboard/NME, 7/7/15...... Legendary promoter/producer Jerry Weintraub, who promoted shows for such superstars as Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and the Beach Boys and produced such hit films as Nashville,Diner, Oh, God!, The Karate Kid and Ocean's Eleven, died at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., on July 6 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 77. The steely, hard-charging Bronx-raised Weintraub was wildly successful in a ranging entertainment career that spanned over 50 years, and also produced several TV programs. His foray into movies came after a Weintraub-produced John Denver performance where he met director Robert Altman, who sent him a prospective project: Nashville. The 1975 film went on to garner five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. In addition to his entertainment industry endeavors, he held large real estate investments and such ventures as an Elvis Museum in Tokyo, as well as a spa in Beverly Hills. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/6/15...... Songwriter Roy C. Bennett, who penned hits for such acts as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Carl Perkins and Perry Como, died on July 2 in Queens, N.Y. He was 97. With his songwriting partner Sid Tepper, the duo published over 300 songs and wrote more than 40 tracks for Presley alone, including almost half of the massively successful Blue Hawaii soundtrack. In 2002, they were honored in Memphis for their contributions to Presley's career. Bennett-Tepper also wrote songs covered by the Beatles, Eartha Kitt, Duke Ellington, Marty Robbins and Wayne Newton, among others. Mr. Bennett started his songwriting career at the age of 11, teaming with Tepper from the start. Tepper died this past April at the age of 96 of natural causes. - Billboard 7/9/15.

The Grateful Dead's final three 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well shows at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 3, 4 and 5 drew recognition from Pres. Barack Obama and New York's iconic skyscraper the Empire State Building. Prior to the band's July 3 show, Pres. Obama sent a message of well wishes, writing: "Here's to fifty years of the Grateful Dead, an iconic American band that embodies the creativity, passion, and ability to bring people together that makes American music so great. Enjoy this weekend's celebration of your fans and legacy. And as Jerry [Garcia] would say, 'Let there be songs to fill the air.'" Meanwhile in the Big Apple, the Empire State Building turned red, white and blue, in observance of the Fourth of July holiday, with a "swirl of the color spectrum" to approximate the Grateful Dead's tied-dyed ethic. "The Empire State Building has long recognized the historic and cultural significance of the Grateful Dead and asked me to do this show for the band's highly anticipated reunion and final shows of GD50," says award-winning lighting designer Marc Brickman. "It's a once in a lifetime experience." The first of the three Chicago shows kicked off on July 3 shortly after 7:00 p.m. CDT as the Dead's "core four" -- Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann -- kicked off a three-night run they say will be their final shows ever, augmented by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardists Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti. The mood was rowdy and energetic but peaceful and relatively calm, as the fans rushed in to both celebrate one more time and bid farewell. The attendance of 70,764 shattered Soldier Field's post-renovation attendance record of 67,936 set by U2's 360 Tour in 2009. - Billboard, 7/4/15...... Billy Joel married his fourth wife, former Morgan Stanley executive Alexis Roderick, in an intimate surprise ceremony on July 4 at his estate in Long Island, N.Y. "They surprised guests at their annual July 4th party," a spokesman for Joel told People magazine. The couple, after meeting at a restaurant, have been together since 2009 and are expecting their first child together, a baby girl, later this summer. Joel was previously married to Elizabeth Webber, Christie Brinkley and Katie Lee. Meanwhile, Joel set a record for most performances by a single artist at Madison Square Garden with his 65th show on July 1, besting his onetime touring partner, Elton John. The Piano Man performed an energetic two-hour set for the 20,000-strong crowd of older and younger fans alike, rocking out on such smash hits as "Uptown Girl," "We Didn't Start the Fire," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and "Only the Good Die Young." "I didn't know I'd be here 65 times, amazing," Joel said. "I want to thank you very much for making this possible." Joel, 66, has been performing at MSG once a month since 2014. John, 68, previously had the MSG record with 64 performances, and Joel paid tribute to his friend by singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" as yellow lights beamed from the stage. - Billboard/AP, 7/4/15...... Former Commodores principal and '80s solo superstar Lionel Ritchie has scored his first UK No. 1 album in 23 years following his successful performance at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival. The Definitive Collection by Lionel Ritchie & The Commodores was released in 2003 and previously reached N. 10 on the UK's Official Chart upon its release. It has now made its first Top 40 re-entry in six years. "I was overwhelmed performing at Glastonbury in front of all those people and for the fans to make the album Number 1 is unbelievable," Richie told OfficialCharts.com. "The UK has always been a special place for me, thank you, I love you all." - New Musical Express, 7/5/15...... Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has released a video for "Love Is Your Name," a track from his forthcoming country-tinged LP which is likely due in 2016 or possibly a few months earlier. In the video, the 67-year-old Tyler is still rocking his made-up androgynous style but now surrounds himself with a band of roaming county Gypsies, rocking out in an idyllic prairie somewhere unknown as a gorgeous blonde 20-something makes her way to his front door. Tyler relocated to Nashville to begin work on the album earlier this year. - Billboard, 7/3/15...... Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance onstage at Brian Wilson's summer US tour made its way to Holmdel, N.J., on July 1. The Boss at first stayed off to the side of the PNC Banks Arts Center, singing backup for "Barbara Ann," but was eventually goaded onstage to sing the Beach Boys classic "Surfin' USA" with Wilson. The crowd went wild as Springsteen strapped on a guitar and took to the stage, but he immediately left as soon as the song was over. Wilson's US tour is set to wrap on July 12, and according to an official statement, his UK tour has been postponed until 2016 due to the success of his biopic Love and Mercy. - Billboard, 7/2/15...... "Corrine, Corrina," a famous blues song written by Armenter "Bo Carter" Chatmon back in 1928, is the subject of a new lawsuit filed in Georgia against Rod Stewart, Universal Music and Capitol Records. Although the song is old enough that it borders on being in the public domain, the heirs of Chatmon's estate are claiming Stewart's inclusion of the similarly titled song "Corrina, Corrina" on his 2013 album Time is copyright infringement. The complaint asserts that the two songs are "nearly identical" and "contain substantially similar defining compositional elements, including, but not limited to lyrics, melody, rhythm, tempo, meter, key, and title." The suit also contains a racial dimension by noting Chatmon was "the son of an ex-slave" and says that the song is protected by copyright registrations in 1929 and 1932 on two different versions of "Corrine, Corrina." Curiously, besides nodding to the longstanding fame of "Corrine, Corrina," the lawsuit makes no mention of whether the many musicians who have covered the song over the years have made licensing payments. Since being recorded, the 12-bar song has become somewhat of a standard with covers by Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Big Joe Turner and Conor Oberst, among others. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/2/15...... In a new interview with Esquire magazine, Paul McCartney admitted he felt "frustrated" by the change in public perception of his late Beatles bandmate John Lennon following his death. "Post-Beatles George [Harrison] did his record, John did his, I did mine, Ringo [Starr] did his. We were equal. When John got shot, aside from the pure horror of it, the lingering thing was, OK, well now John's a martyr. A JFK," Sir Paul said. "So what happened was, I started to get frustrated because people started to say, 'Well, he was The Beatles'. And me, George and Ringo would go, 'Er, hang on. It's only a year ago we were all equal-ish'." He went on to say that John "did a lot of great work" but he "also did a lot of non-great work." "So whilst I didn't mind that -- I agreed with it -- I understood that now there was going to be revisionism. It was going to be: John was the one," he added. Elsewhere in the interview, McCartney reveals that he had a crush on Queen Elizabeth II as a child. Macca recalled the light-hearted memory, saying: "When we grew up she was a babe." He also rejected the idea of retiring and says he's seen too many people stop working and "expire" straight away. "Sit at home and watch telly? Gardening, golf... no thanks... I still enjoy writing, I still enjoy singing. What am I gonna do? You see so many people who retire and then immediately expire." - NME, 7/5/15...... In other Beatles news, a postcard autographed by members of the Fab Four went up for auction by Lelands auctioneers on July 1, and swiftly reached a top bid of $12,636 after less than 24 hours. Also up for sale is a collection of signed Apple Records checks from three out of the four Beatles: John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, one of Paul McCartney's signed guitars, and an exact replica of Ringo Starr's drum kit. - NME, 7/2/15...... At a launch party at the Saatchi Gallery on London's Kings Road for their forthcoming memorabilia exhibition "Exhibitionism" on July 2, the Rolling Stones said in a video message that they are "not interested" in splitting up yet. "People have said we're splitting up since every tour from about 1975," said guitarist Keith Richards. If anybody should be interested in when we're going to quit, it should be the Stones, and they're not particularly interested in doing so." Fellow guitarist Ronnie Wood also chimed in: "The exhibition is an insight into an ongoing machine and institution that will never stop rumbling. We didn't get into this exhibition with the thought of retiring. It's just another input into the travelling circus." Although no precise memorabilia for 'Exhibitionism' has been confirmed, the launch hinted at exhibits that will be on display, with photos of items set to be included such as a fake-fur jacket Richards wore on tour in 1994, and a Gibson Firebird III guitar played by late guitarist Brian Jones at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1966. Tickets for the exhibit will go on sale July 11. The band weren't at the launch, as they are still on tour in North America, which ends at Le Festival D'ete in Quebec on July 15. - NME, 7/3/15...... A rare test pressing of Bob Dylan's classic 1975 LP Blood on the Tracks is on sale at LA's Amoeba Records for $12,000 and the dealer says it's "the most expensive piece Amoeba has ever had for sale." The test pressing was among a recently purchased album collection of 4,000 that Amoeba says had many "great, rare and one-of-a-kind items." Although the tracks on the test pressings of Blood on the Tracks have been widely heard, to have a physical copy of this original pressing is incredibly rare. - NME, 7/2/15...... The TV Land cable network has pulled reruns of the CBS comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard from its schedule following the controversy over Confederate flag imagery. In late June, Warner Bros., which produced the series, halted production of toy replicas of the "General Lee," the 1969 Dodge Charger that famously features a replica of the Confederate flag on its roof. On July 4, the General Lee's current owner, golf pro Bubba Watson, announced he was painting over the Confederate flag on the car and replacing it with a US flag. Watson, a two-time Masters champ, paid $121,000 for the car at a January 2012 auction. On June 26, an Illinois-based auto museum offered to buy the car as-is from Watson. The Dukes of Hazzard originally aired on CBS from 1979 to 1985. - AP, 7/4/15...... Veteran Nashville songwriter Red Lane, who throughout his 50-year career penned tunes for such country stars as Merle Haggard, Faron Young, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Dottie West and John Conlee, died on July 1 after an extended illness. He was 76. Jennings recorded Lane's "Walk On Out of My Mind," which became a top-five hit in 1968, and his "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" narrowly missed the top spot for Conway Twitty but nevertheless earned a nomination for the song of the year award from the Country Music Association that year -- one of only two Twitty hits to earn such a distinction. With his success as a songwriter, Lane was offered a recording contract with RCA Victor, where he placed four songs on the charts in 1971-72, with "The World Needs A Melody" being the biggest -- hitting No. 32 in the spring of 1971. The song became a popular album cut throughout the decade, with George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Kenny Rogers all recording the song. Somewhat of a free spirit, another interesting fact about Lane was that he had converted a 1958 DC-8 passenger jetliner into his living quarters, and was enamored with airplane travel. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1993. - Billboard, 7/2/15...... Val Doonican, an easygoing Irish crooner also known for his fondness for knitwear, died of natural causes on July 1 at a nursing home in southern England. He was 88. Sometimes known as "Ireland's Bing Crosby," Mr. Doonican was born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1927 and performed for years in clubs and on radio in Ireland and Britain before making his breakthrough. He had a string of British chart hits through the 1960s and '70s, including "Walk Tall," ''The Special Years" and "Elusive Butterfly." On The Val Doonican Show, which ran on BBC television from 1965 to 1986, the singer performed easy-listening pop songs, often while wearing woolen pullovers. For his many fans, he was a reassuring presence. One album was called Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently. is survived by his wife, Lynne, and two daughters. - AP, 7/2/15...... Actress Diana Douglas Webster, the former wife of Kirk Douglas and the mother of Michael Douglas, died of cancer on July 4 in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 92. Ms. Webster appeared in more than 20 films, including Planes, Trains and Automobiles and It Runs in the Family, in addition to TV roles on The West Wing and Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She met Kirk Douglas when they were both acting students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. They married in 1943 and had Michael in 1944, followed by the birth of Joel (now a producer) in 1947. After a divorce from Kirk in 1951, Ms. Webster married actor Bill Darrid in 1956 and then Donald A. Webster upon her second husband's death. A memorial service will be held in Los Angeles. - Variety, 7/4/15.